Page 44 of The House Guest

Dorian

The look of pure shock on her face told me she hadn’t even considered that I’d be willing to leave everything behind here. But the thought of staying was much harder than that.

“Rosebud, do you really think this is going to work if we’re across the country from each other?”

She shook her head. “I hadn’t allowed myself to think about the logistics for fear it wouldn’t make sense. I would never ask you to—”

“I know. But the thing is, you don’t have to ask me. I don’t want to live apart from you. Your hands are tied because of your daughter. There’s only one solution, and that’s for me to move.”

“What about the mansion? You just got it back.”

“You think this lump of concrete means anything to me? The only thing meaningful about it are the memories we have together here. My heart is where you are. And I need to follow my heart, just like you did when you risked everything to come here.”

“I may not be able to move out of the house I share with Casey right away.”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as we can see each other.

I’ll rent a house for now, and we’ll take things slowly.

You’ll live with your daughter as you always have.

And when you’re ready, I’d love to meet her.

But not until you feel it’s right. I know you have things to take care of.

That’ll require patience on my part, but I’ve waited five years.

I can wait longer. Like I’ve said before, this is going to be messy.

But at least I’ll be there when things get tough.

I can’t do that from here.” I looked into her eyes.

“But before I make assumptions, I need you to tell me whether you want me in Ohio.”

Her eyes watered. “Yes, of course I want you there.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Who’s gonna take care of the mansion?”

“I’ve already asked Benjamin to move into the main house. And I’m rehiring Patsy. Maybe someday I’ll sell this place again. But for now, I’ll keep it. In any case, it’s served its purpose.”

“What do you mean?”

“I needed to be here long enough for you to come back to me.”

***

The moment we stepped out of the airport in Ohio, things felt different .

The California sun had been replaced by clouds and an ominous undertone in the air.

I knew this was a risk. I still worried Primrose could be guilted into believing she was better off keeping her family together.

If that happened, I’d have to face it. But at least I’d be here .

At least I’d know I’d tried everything. And I felt more confident than ever about us, despite my fear.

As I looked around, though, there was nothing about this place besides Primrose that made me want to live here. It would take some getting used to.

We picked up a rental car, and Primrose was tense the entire way home. I parked the car down the street from her house so Casey wouldn’t see us together.

Primrose hadn’t had a chance to talk to him about anything yet, let alone tell him she’d brought more back from California than just a toy for Rosie.

I rubbed her shoulders. “You okay?”

Her breath trembled. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. This is gonna be hard, but at least I get to see my baby girl.” She took my hand in hers. “Be patient with me, okay?”

“There’s no rush, as long as you come back to me. I’ll be here.”

After a goodbye kiss that was wrought with pain, Primrose rolled her suitcase down the street toward her house.

As luck would have it, the rental house I’d occupied last time Benjamin and I were here was still available. I’d been in touch with the owner before I left California and would be able to stay there on a month-by-month basis.

Walking into the big, empty house, especially without Benjamin, was bittersweet.

I knew Primrose was likely having a very difficult talk with Casey right now and wished I could be there with her.

I felt almost guilty to be granted the peace of this quiet place when she had to face the turmoil of ending her relationship.

I turned the heat on and lit a fire.

Later that evening, I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. There was no food in the house. I figured I’d go shopping tomorrow, but for tonight I’d sift through the menus in the kitchen and order takeout.

I settled on orange chicken from the Chinese restaurant and called it in for delivery.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

But it wasn’t the takeout.

Instead, it was someone I was sure wanted to take me out.

Casey.